Henan floods in 2021

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Henan floods in 2021
Precipitation per hour in Zhengzhou on July 20th [mm]
Precipitation per hour in Zhengzhou
on July 20th [mm]
storm Heavy rain with subsequent floods
General weather situation Foothills Typhoon In-Fa
Data
Beginning July 17, 2021
Climax July 20, 2021
consequences
affected areas Henan
Victim 71 (as of July 28)
Amount of damage about $ 10 billion
5 missing persons (as of July 24th)

In July 2021, severe thunderstorms occurred in the central Chinese province of Henan , which resulted in a flood disaster , in which at least 71 people were officially reported to be killed (as of July 28). Over 200,000 residents were evacuated as a result of the floods. Three million people were affected by the effects of the flood.

causes

Precipitation per minute, July 20, 2021, 16:00 - 17:00 [mm]

The heavy rain, attributable to the foothills of the typhoon systems “In-fa” and “Cempaka”, began on July 17th and lasted for several days. In the course of a few days between July 17 and 20, in the region around Zhengzhou, 617 mm of rain per square meter fell, an amount corresponding to the mean annual precipitation of 640 mm. On July 20 alone, over 200 mm fell in one hour. According to meteorologists, it was the heaviest rainfall since the Zhengzhou Weather Bureau was founded 60 years earlier. The water levels of tributaries of the Yellow River and Hai He exceeded alarm levels as a result. In Xinxiang , between 8 a.m. on July 17 and 6 a.m. on July 22, precipitation fell 907 mm, compared to the mean annual precipitation of 573 mm.

In China there are floods every year, so there had been several strong floods in the previous year with at least 219 fatalities. However, global warming is increasingly leading to extreme precipitation. Rapid urbanization in China also increases the risk of flooding. Due to the increasing sealing of the surfaces, the water masses do not have sufficient opportunities to drain off during heavy rain.

consequences

Funeral offerings at Shakolu Subway Station, July 28, 2021

The metropolis of Zhengzhou , capital of the province, was particularly affected , where the flood penetrated the city's subway system during evening rush hour. About 1000 people were rescued from the rapidly rising water in tunnels and subway cars, but at least 14 people died in a flooded subway train. According to local authorities, the water pooled near a parking lot on subway line 5, where it broke through a retaining wall around 6 p.m. and entered the subway tunnel. The section between Shakoulu stations, where at least 5 people are believed to have died, and Haitansi was affected. Some of those trapped up to their chests in the water in the wagons made video recordings on their smartphones and sent messages for help and farewell. At around 9 p.m., rescue workers were finally able to break open the wagon roofs and rescue those trapped just before the oxygen inside ran out.

The water and electricity supply was interrupted in many places. 600 sick people had to be evacuated from the Zhengzhou University Hospital after a power failure. The rain flooded railroad lines and roads and washed away numerous cars. Traffic was largely paralyzed, and operations at the train station and airport were interrupted. In Dengfeng , there was an explosion at an aluminum alloy factory at 6 a.m. when water from the nearby Ying River reportedly broke through a factory wall and mixed with high-temperature chemicals. The river level exceeded the highest alert at 4 a.m. In the neighboring town of Gongyi , according to previous reports, there were 4 fatalities in the flooded streets. In Xinxiang overran several water reservoirs and affected 58 counties and 470,000 people. In the north of Zhengzhou, a famous Shaolin temple was hit by the storm, and in the west the Buddha statues in the Longmen Grottoes on the Yi River, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are threatened by flooding. In the south of Zhengzhou, the Guojiaju Water Reservoir broke on the morning of July 21. Other dams belonging to the Xiaolangdi dam system near the city of Luoyang are in acute danger.

The property damage caused by the flood is estimated at around 10 billion US dollars. More than 200,000 hectares of land were flooded. The damage to agriculture from the floods runs into the millions. After the floods, factories in Zhengzhou are gradually starting to produce again where electricity and internet supplies have been restored. Two large Foxconn factories resumed operations on July 23, while another in Zhongmu County , which makes PC connections, was badly hit. The world's largest iPhone factory is located in Zhengzhou, producing more than half of the devices at three locations with around 350,000 workers. The city is also one of the most important locations for car manufacturers in China. Longer-lasting problems and delays are expected due to the severely damaged transport routes in and around the city.

criticism

Western media addressed frequently perceived inconsistencies in official reporting and the obvious intense censorship of posts in Chinese social media . The reports criticized in particular the late closure of the underground service, which did not take place until 6 p.m., hours after the first water ingress. The weather station in Zhengzhou had previously issued five consecutive red alarms due to heavy rain. According to the China Meteorological Administration , the warning should have caused authorities to suspend gatherings and shut down classes and shops. In addition, it was officially reported that the rescue work had been successfully completed, while pictures of passengers in flooded tunnels and subway trains were also posted.

More severe weather disasters in China

Position map
Flooding in Zhengzhou on Dihu Lake, July 20, 2021

Severe storms were also reported from southern China , where typhoon "In-fa" caused severe weather in the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian . In the province of Guangdong , another typhoon called "Cempaka" hit land near the city of Yangjiang with wind speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour . In the coastal city of Zhuhai , 14 workers died when water entered the Shijingshan Tunnel. Safety problems had already arisen in the tunnel when two construction workers were killed in another part of the tunnel in March. There were also severe floods in Inner Mongolia in northern China .

Web links

Commons : Henan Flood 2021  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

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  2. ↑ a b c Zhengzhou gets over flood, but Xinxiang faces troubles , July 24, 2021 article on China Daily , accessed July 24, 2021
  3. ↑ a b c Mourners pay respects to 14 subway riders who drowned after floods hit central China , article July 28, 2021 in South China Morning Post , accessed July 29, 2021
  4. ^ A b Like Making a Horror Movie: Severe Flooding in China Inundates a Subway , July 20, 2021 article in The New York Times , accessed July 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ a b c Süddeutsche Zeitung: Dead in floods in China - hundreds are stuck in the subway. Retrieved July 21, 2021 .
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  10. ↑ 219 people dead or missing in China's flood season this year , article dated August 13, 2020 on CGTN , accessed July 24, 2021
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  14. ↑ MAJOR Floods in Zhengzhou, China! Subway Flooded! - Jul. 20, 2021 on YouTube , accessed July 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ a b Nectar Gan, Zixu Wang: Death toll rises as passengers recount horror of China subway floods , article on CNN July 22, 2021, accessed July 22, 2021
  16. ↑ Claire Parker: Severe floods inundate parts of central China, leaving at least one dead. Washington Post, July 20, 2021, accessed July 21, 2021 .
  17. ↑ Wan Lin: Explosion at a plant in Central China city after flood pours into alloy tank, no casualties reported: local government , article from July 20, 2021 in Global Times , accessed on July 23, 2021
  18. ↑ Tidal wave in Zhengzou causes the Guojiaju dam to break , article on Ingenieur.de , accessed on July 21, 2021
  19. ↑ At least 33 dead in floods , July 22, 2021 tagesschau.de , accessed on July 22, 2021
  20. ↑ Zhengzhou factories resume operations, but shipping issues may delay iPhone 13 delivery , July 23, 2021, accessed July 24, 2021
  21. ↑ All 14 workers lost in tunnel flood in China confirmed dead , article July 22, 2021 in the New York Post , accessed July 22, 2021